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While Congress was busy stripping away consumer
protections and legalizing bank fraud, they managed to slip in a little
provision which made many marijuana advocates rejoice. States that have
legalized marijuana for medicinal purposes will no longer have to worry about
federal raids on their operations.

The Obama Administration has made it part of their
policy, although unofficially, to neither indict nor raid dispensaries and
growers of medicinal marijuana. While this is encouraging, it is a tenuous hope
at best. Just because the Obama Administration has not made it a priority and
put focus on other issues within the nation does not mean that a future
administration could reverse course and begin a hunt to take on the medical
marijuana movement.

Since the “War on Drugs” began back in the 1970’s the
United States has spent more money fighting this than any other moral social
expenditure. We have created a system of imprisoning more people than all other
nations on the planet – combined! The vast majority of our prisoners are in
jail due to the harsh sentences imposed by the “war on drugs.” In fact, 1 in 8
prisoners is in prison because of marijuana. And the disparity between blacks
and whites receiving sentences for marijuana is also sadly depressing.

But Congress may have finally begun a stage of waking up
from decades of failed policy. As stated above, tucked in the newest budgetary
act, Congress approved a measure to legalize all the creation, distribution,
sales, possession, and use of medicinal marijuana.

All 50 states are affected by this measure. This does not
mean that medicinal marijuana is effective immediately in every state. The
states must first ratify at their own legislature the passage of medicinal
marijuana in order for the process to begin. Currently, there are 32 states
that have medicinal marijuana approved. The remaining 18 states need to realize
it’s time to catch up and put this horrible legacy of imprisoning our
population behind us.

This brings to light a problem plaguing combat veterans
suffering from PTSD. Many of them have been given prescriptions by the
Veteran’s Administration and receive medicinal marijuana in states that have
measures legalizing it for medicinal purposes. Will this now extend the medical
practice to any of those 18 states who have yet to see the light?

That is another question that could set a precedent for
speeding up the process to making this the non-issue it always should have
been.